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L3Harris to Upgrade Deal for Australian Army Bushmasters

Australia has contracted L3Harris Technologies to supply an end-to-end command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) suite for its Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles.

Delivered under Project Land 4111 Phase 2, the agreement covers system design, integration, installation, and testing for over 80 command and troop carrier variants.

Providing warfighters with encrypted, interoperable communication networks, the package could potentially include L3Harris proprietary AN/PRC-171 compact team radio, MC-3000I mobile command intercom system, and Falcon III RF-7800H-MP wideband HF/VHF manpack radio.

Sources reported that the deal will also leverage government-furnished radios regulated under US export controls.

Australian Army soldiers and Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles are loaded onto LHD Landing Crafts during the reconstitution of the Australian Amphibious Force during Exercise Sea Raider 2023. *** Local Caption *** In July 2023 the Australian Defence Force conducted Exercise Sea Raider across the coast of North Queensland. 
 
Exercise Sea Raider certified the Amphibious Ready Unit and saw the Australian Amphibious Force train closely with the Royal Australian Navy's HMAS Adelaide and HMAS Choules, as well as a beach landing force comprising of infantry, armoured vehicles, artillery, aviation and logistic elements optimised for amphibious raids and assaults.
 
The Sea Series of exercises enhances joint interoperability of the Australian Army and Royal Australian Navy’s amphibious capabilities.
Australian Army soldiers and Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles are loaded onto LHD Landing Crafts. Photo: SGT Andrew Sleeman/Australian Army

Work will take place at the company’s Indo-Pacific Regional Support Centre in Pinkenba, Queensland, with related activities to be facilitated for three years.

“By providing a complete design-through-installation C4I solution, we are delivering advanced, integrated communications systems that support Australian warfighters’ operational success in today’s increasingly complex environments,” said Andrew Rushbrook, managing director of L3Harris Communications Australia.

He also noted that the Australian-led engineering effort will also amplify local workforce expansion and apprenticeship pipelines.

Project Land 4111

The contract follows earlier integration work on Australian Army Bushmasters under Project Land 4111, which aims to standardize while increasing lethality and survivability of its ground fleets.

Alongside the mine-resistant protected mobility systems, the program covers upgrades for the Hawkei light utility vehicles.

Acquisitions encompass more than 200 new Bushmasters, maintenance support for the existing fleet of 1,000 legacy vehicles, and 1,100 new Hawkeis.

Hawkei military vehicles
Australia’s Hawkei military vehicles. Photo: Australian Defence Force

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